Jill Klosterman's Oct. 4 column 'Common grounds possible for fair trade, free trade,' misrepresents Starbucks' corporate social responsibility efforts.
Starbucks supports Fair Trade Certified coffee in principle as well as in practice. We share common goals with the Fair Trade movement: to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their coffee and to strengthen coffee farms for the future. In 2005, Starbucks committed to purchasing 10 million pounds of Fair Trade Certified coffee'nearly 25 percent of all Fair Trade Certified coffee imported to the United States. We believe that this will make us the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified coffee in North America.
It is important to note that the Fair Trade system includes only 3 percent of the world's coffee. Because of Starbucks size, we need to buy coffee from other small, medium and large-scale farmers who are not part of the Fair Trade system. Regardless of certifications and labels, Starbucks seeks to apply the same principles to all purchases'paying premium prices for the highest quality coffee that results in a profit for farmers and workers and care for the social and environmental needs of the area. In fiscal year 2004, we paid an average of $1.20 per pound for coffee, which was 74 percent higher than the commodity market's price during the year.
Starbucks also provides coffee farmers access to affordable credit, invests millions of dollars in social projects in coffee communities, and provides technical assistance and agricultural expertise through the Starbucks Farmer Support Center in Costa Rica.
In addition, Starbucks has developed a set of socially responsible buying practices in collaboration with Conservation International called C.A.F.E. Practices (Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices). These guidelines are designed to protect the environment, help ensure fair prices, wages and workers' rights, and promote social development in coffee communities. By 2007, Starbucks expects to purchase the majority of our coffee under C.A.F.E. Practices.
There's no question that more work needs to be done to bring stability and equity to coffee farmers, but Starbucks takes great pride in being a responsible leader in those efforts.
